Riverdale is a twisted take on Archie Comics that incorporates all of the familiar and beloved characters but with darker undertones. The light humor and coming-of-age quirks are replaced with a sinister ambience and mysterious, complicated characters. The pilot of Riverdale is certainly promising, but leaves much to be desired.

One may recognize all the characters that get introduced in the pilot, if you are an avid fan of the classic comics. But soon enough, one discovers that one has to “unknow” everything in order to absorb the bizarre backgrounds that each of the characters has been given. And that nothing is as it seems in Riverdale.

Meet The Uncanny Characters

Contrary to the happy-go-lucky Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart), who was madly in love with Archie Andrews in the comics, Betty in Riverdale, is not that simple-minded. She is self abusive and high strung, as reported by IGN. But instead of detesting her, one would most likely pity her for what she has to put up with due to her controlling mother.

Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes), on the other hand, is not the rich and spoiled fashionista who is used to get everything she touches, including Archie. Instead, she and her mother are left to fend for themselves after her father gets rocked by criminal dealings. Even the protagonist, Archie Andrews (K.J. Apa), is neither interested in Betty nor Veronica. He seems to be pretty happy having an affair with school teacher Ms. Grundy (Sarah Habel).

‘Riverdale’: Verdict

According to We Got This Covered, Riverdale has its fair share of good looking cast. The cheesy, hormone-fueled dialogues, mixed with the Pretty Little Liars-kind of vibe does work for the new arrival. However, its survival will depend on the unpredictability of the journey that the characters have embarked upon.

The dark streak of the show has become apparent from the premiere itself. Narrator Jughead (Cole Sprouse) informs the audience that Cheryl (Madelaine Petsch) and Jason Blossom (Trevor Stines) got into an accident while out kayaking in the summer, and Jason went missing. But that is not the only secret that plagues Riverdale.

In the upcoming episodes, the viewers can expect a lot more twists being uncovered. However, the central focus will remain on Jason’s disappearance. Riverdale airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on The CW.